Chapter 25
About one hour ago.
Kylerus stood in front of the Brant Count’s mansion and could not take even a single step.
His feet felt stuck to the ground.
Hearing the noisy voices coming from the backyard of the mansion made his vision feel dizzy, as if time and space were twisting.
“Looks like the party is in full swing.”
Darius, who was standing beside him, looked toward the backyard.
After walking a few steps toward the mansion, he turned back to Kylerus, who was still standing still.
“Kyle?”
“Take this. You give it to her.”
Kylerus forcibly shoved the shopping bag into Darius’s arms.
It was the dessert from <Rotiang> that he had bought early in the morning after staying up all night thinking about what to give as a birthday present.
“What? Why?”
“Don’t ever say I came. And say the gift is from you.”
It felt like cooking soup and giving it to a dog.
When he imagined Ries being moved after receiving the gift prepared by himself but delivered by Darius, his stomach twisted.
But he couldn’t pass that mansion gate so casually.
He rode the Dierne duke family carriage, and before Darius could answer, he slammed the carriage door shut.
“Kyle!”
Ignoring Darius knocking on the carriage window, Kylerus wiped his face and ordered the coachman to return to the duke mansion.
‘What kind of madness made me come here?’
Even if he had no shame, there were limits.
They had already declared that they were cutting ties.
What was he going to do by suddenly invading her party without any notice?
Imagining Ries being confused and troubled after seeing him made him laugh bitterly.
Even if he didn’t care about social reputation, he could predict that entering there now would be like pouring cold water into a fire.
Originally, he had no intention of coming.
All of this was because of that bastard Darius.
Two days ago, at the Dierne duke mansion, Kylerus was training alone in the training ground as always.
According to his usual routine, it was time to finish sword training and move to archery practice, but his progress was not good.
To erase the memory that kept invading his mind, Kylerus violently shook his head and picked up the bow and arrows.
He started shooting arrows toward the target.
The arrows that first flew randomly gradually started landing near the center of the target as time passed.
Then a whistling sound came, and Kylerus turned sharply.
“You improved a lot, Kyle!”
Recognizing the visitor standing beside the pillar, Kylerus’s eyes turned cold.
Darius was clapping and smiling brightly.
“How did you grow so much in such a short time? As expected, you have talent!”
“Disappear.”
“Do Mother and Father know? And the teacher?”
“Disappear.”
There was no way Ries would come to the duke mansion at such a late time.
But the brief expectation that rose inside him made him feel self-loathing.
Darius approached as if Kylerus’s sharp responses were normal.
“Isn’t the day after tomorrow Ries’s birthday party? I will go too. Let’s go together.”
Because of the name that struck his ears, Kylerus’s movement suddenly stopped.
He slowly turned his body toward his older brother, whom he had been ignoring.
“…You’re going?”
“I’m in the capital anyway, so it’s good timing. I planned to visit the party before returning to Mitas.”
“….”
Darius continued in an excited voice.
“I received a really nice gift from Lady Ries before. I should repay it, but what would be good? Do you know what Lady Ries likes, Kyle?”
“….”
“What did you prepare?”
Kylerus, who had been listening blankly, felt his heart beat unpleasantly.
“I…”
“Hm?”
Kylerus’s lips, about to say he wouldn’t go, stiffened when he saw Darius’s faint smile.
Darius tilted his head, smiling with narrowed eyes.
Kylerus silently glared at him.
“Yeah. What about you?”
As if coaxing a child, Darius asked again and stretched out his hand.
Kylerus shook off his hand as if it were dirt.
Facing the hostile reaction, Darius exhaled through his nose and raised the corner of his lips.
“You won’t tell me, huh? Okay. I’ll have to think about it myself.
“Let’s see whose gift Lady Ries will like more.
“Then, good night, Kyle.”
After saying good night, Darius left.
Kylerus, who had been standing like a stone statue for a while, suddenly felt anger rising and violently threw the bow away.
The image of Ries happily welcoming Darius who came to the birthday party was vividly imagined.
The scene of her opening the gift he prepared and cheering also appeared.
When that face overlapped with the excited face she used to show while chatting with Darius, irritation surged.
It was clearly something that had nothing to do with him anymore.
He had decided to cut ties with that child.
Then why was he so annoyed?
Yes, everything was Darius’s provocation.
Waking up at dawn to choose clothes, cutting his hair, waiting in front of the dessert shop early in case it sold out, entering the shop first, and nervously choosing the gift set while being surrounded by cute comments from female staff.
As soon as the carriage stopped in front of the duke mansion, Kylerus jumped out as if he had been waiting.
He loosened his neatly combed hair and untied the tight tie around his neck.
After returning to his room, Kylerus searched the drawer and pulled out the birthday party invitation Ries had given him.
It was not an official invitation stamped with the Brant county seal, but a clumsy handwritten invitation.
— I, Ries Brant, invite Kylerus Dierne, my first friend and only friend, to my birthday party.
Reading the small cute handwriting under the date and time, Kylerus cursed and threw the invitation away.
He had looked toward the training ground entrance dozens of times because of the clear, singing voice he occasionally heard.
The reddish lips that chatted and the refreshing green eyes appeared like hallucinations.
After driving her away so mercilessly, why did he behave like this?
Even he thought it was ridiculous.
But such foolish behavior was now over.
The birthday party day was over.
The last thin connection was also cut.
Kylerus dragged his uncomfortable body, as if there was food stuck inside, and lay down on the bed.
‘Let’s rest a little before training.’
When he was about to fall asleep, someone knocked on the door.
When he opened his eyes, the gentle voice of the butler came from outside.
“Master Kylerus, Lady Ries has come.”
Following the butler’s guidance, I sat quietly in the garden pergola and waited for Kyle.
I hugged the shopping bag with the <Rotiang> name on it.
‘Hmm… what should I say?’
If I face Kyle, it will probably be very awkward.
But I ran here without thinking about what would happen later.
Simply because I wanted to see Kyle — my comfortable friend from the past.
‘Yes, I should apologize.’
Even if we can’t become friends again, I should apologize.
If he refuses to meet me like this, then it can’t be helped.
However, Kyle came before I even finished the first sip of tea.
He looked like he had run here in a hurry, with messy clothes and hair.
“Kyle!”
I called his name brightly, smiling happily.
Kyle slowly approached me while looking at me with wide eyes.
“…Why did you come.”
“I heard you came to the birthday party and left. Ah.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.
As expected, Kyle’s face twisted violently.
“Don’t get angry at Darius brother! I was really happy when I heard you came!”
I quickly defended Darius and changed the topic.
“I didn’t expect you to come since we ended badly. Thank you very much.”
“….”
“Did you come to keep your promise?”
“…I can’t live bald forever.”
I laughed softly when I remembered the forced oath I made him swear while giving him the invitation.
So he remembered it.
Kyle tilted his head and rubbed the back of his neck hard.
I was worried he might drive me away again, but the atmosphere wasn’t bad, so courage rose inside me.
I approached Kyle, who was standing awkwardly in front of the table, and pulled him to the seat beside me.
Kyle surprisingly followed obediently and sat down.
He was dressed in a tuxedo, shirt, and vest like when we first met at Darius’s birthday party.
Although slightly messy, he had cut his long bangs that used to cover his face.
Now I could clearly see the area around his eyes.
“Your hair is cut. It looks much better.”
Maybe because he felt shy about his appearance or embarrassed by the compliment, he couldn’t stay still and kept brushing his black hair back.
Then he looked at me and pouted slightly.
I waited patiently.
Finally, that stubborn mouth opened.
